Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to mine hydrocarbons trapped deep beneath the Earth’s surface. The principles underlying the technology are not new. Fracking was first applied at the commercial level in the United States as early as 1947, and over the decades... more...

Rebecca Macfie is a senior writer with the New Zealand Listener magazine. She was previously a senior writer and deputy editor of Canvas magazine, editor and deputy editor of Unlimited magazine, and has written extensively for Independent Business Weekly and National Business Review . She has 24 years’ experience in journalism and has won... more...

As we enter the 21st century, mines are being planned to reach depths of more than 1,100 meters, waste rock embankments have surpassed 600 meters in height, tailings dams have reached heights of 200 meters, and heap leach facilities have topped 150 meters. The push toward higher, deeper, and steeper, along with the larger and more productive equipment... more...

The control over marble and metal resources was of major importance to the Roman Empire. Alfred Hirt's comprehensive study defines the organizational outlines and the internal structures of the mining and quarrying ventures under imperial control. more...

This code of practice on safety and health in underground coalmines reflects the many changes in the industry and its workforce, as well as new developments in occupational safety and health policies and ILO instruments on occupational safety and health. A leaner, multi-skilled workforce, new technology and less prescriptive, more systems-oriented... more...

In the period that we now call the Industrial Revolution mining disasters wrecked the lives of thousands of South Yorkshire families and devastated entire communities. The Husker pit flooding of 1838 in which 26 young girls and boys were killed shocked Victorian society and and was a significant factor in the 1842 Report on Employment of Women and... more...

Since prehistoric times, the process of cutting rock to make millstones has been one of the most important industries in the world. The first part of this book compiles information on the millstone industry in the United States, which dates between the mid-1600s and the mid-1900s. Primarily based on archival research and brief accounts published in... more...

Be Prepared Before You Have a Mine Accident. Let s hope you never face a mine disaster. But if you do, you need expert help at your fingertips, and you need it NOW! Keep this book close at hand, just in case. Buy extra copies for your key management and safety staff, and make sure they read it before you need it.Mine Rescue Manual, prepared and tested... more...

Within the metal and mining industries, the use of expert systems for monitoring and control is on the increase. The content of each paper had to include both expert systems, neural networks or fuzzy control. The papers were evenly contributed from industry, universities and research institutes, thus this book provides a valuable insight into the theoretical... more...